Gas turbine propeller apparatus



Feb. 13, 1951 A. H. REDDING GAS TURBINE PROPELLER APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 14, 1948 v WITNESSES! In INVENTOR Arno Id H. Redd/n9 ATTORNEY Feb. 13, 1951 A. H. REDDING 2, 1,098

GAS TURBINE PROPELLER APPARATUS Filed June 14, 1948 2 Shoots-Shoot 2 INVENTOR Arno/d Ii Redd/0g ATTORNEY Patented Feb. :13, 1951 GAS TURBINE PROPELLER APPARATUS Arnold 11 Bedding, Swarthmore, Pa., assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application June 14, 1948, Serial No. 32,941

Claims. 1

This invention relates to gas turbine power plants for propelling aircraft, and more particularly to a gas turbine engine operative for driving 3. ducted propeller.

-In applicant's copending application, Serial No. 523,715, filed February 24, 1944 now Patent No. 2,478,206 dated August 9, 1949 and assigned to the assignee of the present application, there is disclosed an aviation gas turbine power plant having coaxial low and high speed turbine rotors which are operated by motive fluid delivered under pressure from a combustion apparatus for separately driving a compressor and a ducted propeller. In that application, the propeller blades are mounted on the annular shroud surrounding the blading of one or the turbines, the entire rotor assembly being journaled independently of the companion turbine, which is operative in the opposite direction to drive the usual compressor of the power plant.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a gas turbine power plant having a construction generally similar to that disclosed in the aforementioned patent application, in which the propeller assembly is provided with auxiilary tension members for absorbing radial or centrifugal-forces to which the propeller blades are subjected during operation, so that only torque and thrust forces can be imposed on the turbine blading and shroud.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a combination turbine and propeller rotor aggregate including a framework of flat tension members for securing the propeller blades against radial forces without transmitting such forces to the supporting turbine blading.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a unitary turbine and propeller rotor comprising turbine blades mounted within an annular shroud, a plurality of propeller blades adapted to be carried on the shroud and having a relatively large tip diameter, and propeller supporting means including means for connecting the root portions of the propeller blades together independently of the means fastening the propeller blades to the turbine shroud, whereby the centrifugal loading of the propeller blades is absorbed and only thrust and torque forces are transmitted through to the turbine blading.

These and other objects are eifected by the invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic elevational view of an aviation gas turbine power plant having a ducted propeller assembly constructed in accordance with a preferred form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line IIII of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged-detail fragmentary view taken substantially along the line III-III of Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line IV--IV of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line VV of Fig. 4.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, the gas turbine power plant therein illustrated in diagrammatic form is one of the directly-connected propeller type with which my invention may advantangeously be associated. As shown in this figure, the power plant comprises a streamlined outer casing structure III in which may be moun ted a sectional inner casing structure ll providing an annular flow passage I2, which constitutes a through communication extending from a forwardly directed air intake opening it to a rearwardly directed discharge or let nozzle IS. The outer casing structure I0 is adapted to be mounted in or on the fuselage or wing of an aircraft in any suitable manner, and houses the operating elements of the engine which are arranged in line so as to present minimum frontal area, thus minimizing drag during operation of the aircraft. The operating elements of the gas turbine power plant include an axial flow compressor ll, an annular fuel combustion apparatus I8, a turbine i9 operatively connected to the rotor of the compressor l1 through the medium of a shaft 20, and an auxiliary turbine and propeller aggregate indicated generally by the reference character 2 I, which is adapted to be driven independently of the turbine l9 as hereinafter explained.

In accordance with the well-known principle of operation of a gas turbine power plant, air entering the inlet opening I is compressed by the compressor 11 and delivered to the combustion apparatus it to support combustion of fuel therein, and the resultant heated motive fluid flowing from the combustion apparatus is then expanded through the turbine is for driving the compressor I1, and past the adjacent turbine blading for driving the turbine and propeller aggregate 2|, finally issuing through the nozzle 15 in the form of a jet establishing a propulsive thrust.

Referring now to Fig. 3 of the drawing, it will be seen that the compressor driving turbine It carries two stages of turbine blades and 25. and is carried on the end of the shaft 2'! rearwardly of a bearing 21, which is mounted within a cylindrical member 28 suitably supported by the inner casing structure II. A stationary turbine diaphragm or nozzle structure 30 is preferably mounted on the annular frusto-conical mem bers ii and 32, respectively welded or otherwise secured to the inner and outer casing structures I I and ill, the diaphragm 30 being disposed in advance of the turbine blading 25.

According to the invention, the auxiliary turbine and propeller aggregate 2| comprises an annular rotor member or hub which is journaled on bearings 36 supported on the outer surturbine l9. Also extending rearwardly from the annular shroud 40 is the tapered inner wall section 43 of a tailpiece or nozzle assembly of the power plant, other elements of this assembly including a centrally disposed core member 44 supported within the inner wall 43 through the medium of radially disposed struts 45.

The annular shroud 40 is also adaptedto support a plurality of radially arranged propeller blades 46, each of which has a base or root portion 41 adapted to extend, through a suitable aperture formed in the outer wall 48, into close proximity to the shroud 40. The outer ends of the propeller blades 46 terminate closely. adjacent an annular duct or shroud 49, (see Fig. 2-) which may be suitably supported in concentric relation to the casing structure It by suitable struts (not shown).

As best shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, the base portions 41 of the respective propeller blades are adapted to be tied together by means of a plurality of flat tension members or tie elements 50, each of which has a pair of centrally disposed lugs 5| adapted to be secured to a complementary pair of lugs 52 carried on the outer surface of the shroud 40. Suitable pins, such as the pin 53, may be provided for thus securing together the associated lugs 5| and 52. Each tension member further comprises oppositely disposed, angularly arranged flanges 55, which are adapted to abut the base portions 41 of the respective propeller blades 46. When each propeller blade 46 is thus assembled between the abuttingflanges 55 of the adjacent tension members 50, one or more bolts 51 are inserted through registering openings in the members for securing them together as shown in Fig. 5.

As shown in Fig. 2, the assembled propeller blades 46 and tension members 50 are thus adapted to constitute a substantially polygonal framework surrounding the shroud 40 and turbine blading 31, the shroud being connected to the respective tension members 50 intermediate the ends thereof by the pins 53, so that during rotation of the turbine and propeller aggregate 2i, only torque and thrust forces.of the propeller 4 blades 46 can be transmitted to the shroud, while the much greater radial or centrifugal forces "are absorbed by the tensionrmembers 50.

It will be understood that the application to the turbine and propeller aggregate II of the improved propeller blade supporting means, including the tension members 50, will not necessitate a any substantial alteration in the dimensions or construction of the turbine rotor assembly employed with such apparatus, since each of the tension members is adapted to be contained entirely within the space defined between the turbine shroud 40 and the outer housing wall 48 of the tail section of the power plant.

While the invention has been shown in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. Aircraft propulsion apparatus comprising a casing structure. a turbine rotor mounted in said casing structure, a. plurality of radially extending propeller blades adapted to be carried on the peripheral portion of said turbine rotor, a plurality of tension members interposed between the base portions of said blades, each of said tension members being substantially tangentially aligned with relation to said turbine rotor and interlocked therewith, and means for securing the base por-- tion of each blade between the abutting ends of the adjacent tension members. each base portion being clear of said turbine rotor.

2. Aircraft propulsion apparatus comprising a casing structure, a turbine rotor mounted in said casing structure, a plurality of radially extending propeller blades adapted to be carried on the peripheral portion of said turbine rotor, a plurality of tension members interposed between the base portions of said blades, each of said tension members being secured intermediate its ends to the peripheral portion of said turbine rotor, and means for securing the base portion of each of said blades between the abutting ends of the tension members adjacent thereto for supporting 3. Aircraft propulsion apparatus comprising a casing structure, a turbine rotor mounted in said casing structure, a plurality of radially extending propeller blades adapted to be carried on the peripheral portion of said turbine rotor, a plurality of tension members interposed betweenthe base portions of said blades, each of said tension members having flanged ends and a portion intermediate thereof connected in tangential relation to said turbine rotor, and boltsadapted to secure the respective blades between abutting pairs of said flanged ends of said tension members with said blades clear of said rotor, whereby said tension members are adapted to absorb radial forces on said blades while said turbine rotor is subject onlyto thrust and torque forces.

4. A turbine driven propeller assembly comprising a turbine rotor including an annular shroud, a plurality of radially extending propeller blades adapted to be carried on said shroud, a plurality of straight tension members interposed in end-to-end relationship between the base portions of said propeller blades and secured intermediate their ends to said shroud, and means for securing each of said base portions between the abutting ends of adjacent tension members thus supporting said base portions clear of said shroud, for transmitting to said tension members the centrifugal forces on said blades while subgecting said turbine shroud to torque and thrust orces.

5. A turbine driven propeller assembly comprising a turbine rotor having an annular shroud,

a plurality of propeller blades having root por-- tions, a plurality of flat tension members having end portions adapted to be connected in abuttin relation to the respective root portions of said blades for constituting a polygonal framework encompassing said annular shroud with said blade root portions spaced outwardly thereof, a cyiinsaid tension members with transmission of only torque and thrust forces to said turbine rotor.

ARNOLD H. BEDDING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

' UNITED STATES PATENTS Date 10 Number Name 4,181 Ericsson Sept. 9, 1845 1,017,584 Lake Feb, 13, 1912 1,116,257 Flatau Nov. 3, 1914 2,232,670 Barrett Feb. 18, 1941 2,286,908 Goddard June 16, 1942 2,404,767 Heppner July 23, 1946 2,478,206 Bedding Aug. 9, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 328,932 Italy June 27, 1935 

